-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The rumor blowing up Saturday was that Day 2 of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival could feature a surprise appearance by electronica icons Daft Punk . According to the Twitterverse , it would probably take place during the set of headliners Phoenix .

But when the special guest finally materialized on the main stage , it was n't Daft Punk , it was R. Kelly . Yes , that R. Kelly .

The controversial R&B legend 's unexpected appearance prompted festival-goer Katy Perry to reference last year 's popular Tupac appearance on Twitter : `` Production value has really gone up at -LRB- Coachella -RRB- , it felt like R. Kelly was really there ! #rkellyhologram ''

Taking the stage near the end of night , Kelly joined the headliners for a mashup of their `` 1901 '' and his `` Ignition . ''

Kelly was n't the only R&B artist to make a cameo at Coachella on Saturday . John Legend premiered his Benny Benassi-produced single `` Dance the Pain Away '' in the Sahara tent during the DJ 's set , and Solange made a guest appearance during the performance of her friends the xx . Their special Coachella remix of their cover of Aaliyah 's `` Hot Like Fire '' and Solange 's `` Locked in Closets '' injected an upbeat energy into an otherwise moody set .

Other Saturday crowd-pleasers included the Violent Femmes , who had fans dancing and singing along to their 1983 hits `` Blister in the Sun , '' `` Kiss Off '' and `` Add It Up . '' Although the songs were released before most of the festival-goers were born , they were familiar because of their ubiquitous presence on Los Angeles radio station KROQ .

Another Day 2 favorite was 2 Chainz , the Georgia rapper best known for the tracks `` I 'm Different '' and `` Birthday Song . '' Coachella organizers obviously underestimated his rabid fan base , and instead of slotting him onto the main stage , they relegated him to a much smaller tent . Admirers spilled out the back and sides of the tent as puffy clouds of smoke rose from the crowd .

Moby made his first appearance at Coachella since 1999 , the festival 's debut year . Even though he 's branched out as a musician in recent years , he returned to his DJ roots , playing the dance tent accompanied by visuals of outer space -- courtesy of his friends at NASA .

`` When I was growing up , I was obsessed with science fiction , '' he said . `` And then I became obsessed with space and science , but I was a college dropout , so I was never smart enough to be a scientist . As a musician , I 've made friends with people at NASA , so every couple of years , I find myself doing something with them . This is my hometown festival in some ways , and I only get nervous performing when I know people in the audience . ''

On the flip side , Janelle Monae trotted out her retro soul revue . The singer/funktress was eager to kick off her debut .

`` I 've heard a lot about the festival . This is my first time , so I 'm excited about giving -- and having -- an experience that will be unforgettable . ''

To close the festival Sunday night , the Red Hot Chili Peppers returned for their third time headlining Coachella .

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R. Kelly made a surprise appearance at Coachella during Phoenix 's set

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They performed their hits `` 1901 '' and `` Ignition ''

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Day 2 of the festival also featured John Legend , Solange and 2 Chainz